


More Than

by momo_madita



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst, Asexual Character, Asexual Sirius Black, Baby Harry, Established Relationship, F/M, Fanfic art, First War with Voldemort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Marauders AU, Marauders post-Hogwwarts, Marauders' Era, Non-binary Regulus Black, Non-binary character, Raising Harry, Regulus Black Lives, Regulus as Harry's favorite person, Voldemort Dies, alive!Regulus Black, everyone lives au, fanfic aesthetic, first wizarding war, jily, redeemed Regulus Black, wizarding AU, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 06:05:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9806489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momo_madita/pseuds/momo_madita
Summary: In a universe where an unknown source warns The Order of the Phoenix about Peter Pettigrew and Dumbledore tells them that Voldemort, using dark magic, had managed to obtain a kind of connection to James and Lily through Wormtail, the pair decides, that for Harry's safety, they will have to leave and go into hiding without him.It went without saying that both Remus and Sirius were the ones to take Harry in. There wouldn’t have been any other person’s hand they would have put Harry and his well being into. Nobody else they would have trusted with their son. Not even over their dead bodies.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was my secret santa present from the Wolfstar Secret Santa Exchange 2016 on tumblr. 
> 
> prompt: raising Harry AU + Regulus lives and assists them in doing so (aka wolfstar, the prongslet & Alive!reedemed Regulus Black) 
> 
> Enjoy. :-)

 

It was barely after 11 p.m. when Remus stirred awake awkwardly. By instinct he wanted to blame Sirius and his nightly dog dream-induced kicking again. But seeing as Sirius’ sleeping form had retreated so far away from Remus, his legs wouldn’t even have been able to reach him. He thought for two seconds until his sleepy brain registered the whiny noises from the room next to theirs.  
Remus was up as fast as he could, wobbly in the knees and a bit dizzy still. Alternating between swearing under his breath “Fucking dark in here” / “Ouch! Shit! Shit!” / “Fucking fuck!” and whispering lovingly “Harry, I’m on my way!” / “Shhh…” / “I’m coming, baby!” / “Shhh – I’m on my way, love!”, he stumbled from his side of the bed (by the window) through the room, out the door, groping along the wall of the half dark corridor and into Harry’s room. 

“Shhhhh I’m here! I’m here, love!”  
The moment he saw Harry laying in his crib, lightly sobbing but calming down slowly as he heard Remus approach, he knew he had to calm down too.  
After stroking Harry’s tear wet cheek lightly with his fingers, he carefully slid his hands under Harry to pick him up. With one hand he pressed his tiny body against his, while his other hand caressed his head of wild locks resting upon his chest. With Harry’s head directly under his chin, he tilted his face lightly to kiss him on top of his head. He could feel the last remaining, little sobs trembling through Harry’s body. After realizing this could be a matter of a few more minutes, he carefully lowered them to the floor. There he rocked them back and forth slightly, rubbing Harry’s back in the same rhythm.

After about 15 minutes, when Harry was laying in his crib again, fast asleep, he made his way back, stumbling sleepily into their bedroom again. He slid under his covers and even managed to refrain himself from curling up to Sirius who was still sleeping contently.  
Knowing from past experiences when they just merely babysat Harry for the night, he expected that Harry would wake up a few more times that night too. Sirius would have to get up next time, so Remus let him savor his undisturbed sleep until then.  
  
The night went on, with them alternating getting up to put Harry back to sleep four more times.  
By the fifth time, it was Remus’ turn again and while he soothed Harry gently by threading his fingers through Harry’s locks, he tried to count out the approximate times they usually had to get up when they had babysat him. Remus was sure it had never been more than four times.  
  
Just at that moment Remus’ was shook out of his own lull by the sight of Harry’s chest. On his little romper, right over his heart, Remus saw how something, a warm light, was shining through the fabric. He watched as the light grew brighter and brighter, bigger and bigger, and as he let his fingers tentatively skim over Harry’s heart, he could detect a kind of warmth spreading out from that same spot. He could feel the warmth slowly flowing from Harry’s heart and chest over his fingers, through his veins, into his whole body and to his heart.  
A kind of warmth that was so full of love, was so easily and unmistakingly recognized as a kind of warmth only the love of heart could create. A bond made visible and sensible more directly through ancient magic spells. After casting that spell the people who cast them on themselves and the other person can from then on sense more directly when they are thinking of each other lovingly, longingly. That feeling, those vibrations spread throughout the body. They make you feel tingly at first, followed by a feeling of being held, giving you the strength to endure whatever hardship you would otherwise have to face alone.  
  
That feeling of security, contentment and overall goodness. It was what Remus could feel. _Through_ Harry. Could feel the love James and Lily were sending Harry. It had been an excellent idea of them to cast the spell before they went into hiding. The most perfect way for them to make sure that Harry would always feel the love they had for him, a way for them to hug him even though they might have been a thousand miles away.

Shaken out of his thoughts by Harry sighing in his sleep, he looked at him again.  
What _if_? … What if they would just let Harry sleep in their bed?  
He knew that James sometimes had sneaked him into Lily’s and his bed at night. But it had always been Lily who’d scolded him for that, saying that that way Harry would not learn how to sleep and calm down by himself. It had probably just been how she was raised, how she’d thought it was supposed to be. Unlike James, the cuddle bean that he is, slipping into his parents’ bed in the morning until he was 14 years old, and continuing this behavior with the marauders at Hogwarts.  
  
Remus heaved a sigh at the thought of his best friends and looking down at Harry, decided at once to take him with him. After Remus tucked them into bed, with Harry laying in between Sirius and him, he found that he felt a lot more content with Harry there.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
Woken up by the first shy sun rays tickling his nose, Remus was confronted with the most endearing sight. Harry lay tucked tightly into Sirius’ embrace. Remus smiled at his little toes sticking out of Sirius’ blanket and at the way Sirius’ tousled hair laid fanned out on his pillow. At the way Sirius had wrapped his arm securely around Harry’s petite form. How Sirius’ nose was buried into Harry’s locks. While Harry had his button nose buried into Sirius’ chest. The sight made Remus snuggle deeper into the cover.  
  
You know that motion when a particularly heavy sigh is making its way out of your body, and you can feel it traveling all the way up from the pit of your stomach, through your chest and out of your mouth? The one that repeats itself a few times before your breathing can settle down again?  
Where you breathe in and out shakily for three times before a last push of air leaves your lungs?  
That was the one sigh that Remus felt had been building up inside of him ever since James and Lily left. And he finally could let it go.  
They’d be okay, he knew then.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
With a simple head nod Remus and Sirius both agreed the following night, when they were getting ready for bed, that they would both like to start sharing their bed with Harry.  
So the sight that Sirius was greeted with when he came out of their bathroom to cuddle up into bed, was something he should have been prepared for. But inevitably wasn’t.  
Remus had situated himself into bed, with his upper back against the head board so that he was half-sitting up and Harry was laying on his chest, contently sucking on his thumb. Remus’ head was already lolling to the side, so after choking out a breath Sirius tried to tip-toe to his side of the bed. At the slight dip of the mattress, Remus’ eyes still fluttered open and Sirius was met with the most ridiculously cute and crooked overbite-smile. Throwing caution to the wind Sirius scooted closer and when Remus lifted his arm, Sirius was quick to snuggle into his side with his head laying on Remus’ shoulder. His hand splayed protectively over Harry’s back.  
  
“Frankly, I was kind of worried you wouldn’t want Harry to sleep in our bed with us.”, Remus mumbled then, with his lips resting against Sirius’ forehead.  
  
“Why would I object to _that_?”, Sirius asked with a frown as he lifted his head slightly from Remus’ shoulder.  
  
“Well, you _did_ once say – you remember … when Harry was maybe 4 months old – that if we eventually had a kid ourselves you’d be scared of rolling over to accidentally crush them. Aaaand, besides that – you’re not really keen on sharing your sacred sleeping spaces. Or cuddles with your boyfriend, for that matter.”  
  
Snorting quietly Sirius tilted his chin up, and understanding his lover’s intention, Remus bowed his head down to meet Sirius’ lips with his own in a sleepy but lovely kiss. Sirius couldn’t resist from sighing into the kiss before he chuckled and after ending the kiss, grinned up at Remus. “Him and me having some sexy time. That’s going to be a little difficult now. Seeing as we have our little bambi with us in our bed from now on. But I guess we’ll have to find other places for that then.”, Sirius smirked.  
  
Nuzzling into his lover’s black silky hair with a grin, Remus answered “I guess we’ll have to make do with the kitchen table then. Or the rug in the living room. Or the pantry. Or the roof outside our window. Or the-”  
  
“Message received, Moony!”, Sirius interrupted him with a stifled laugh. At that he felt Remus’ arm pull him tighter against his side before hearing him reply quietly, his voice soft, appreciative and warm “Sorry. Seems I got carried away a bit there …”  
Sirius’ animagus dog ears could also pick up a hint of embarrassment and guilt in the tone of his voice. So he softly pressed his palm against his companion’s cheek, stroking lightly with his thumb. “S'okay … You do _know_ though that I like pleasuring you. Just because I don’t get the appeal myself… I like how you look when you’re completely satisfied. And how you look when you can just let go. It means that you feel safe with me.’, Sirius whispered.  
  
Feeling full of love and so fond of this fucking lovely person next to him, Remus turned his head slightly so he could kiss into his boyfriend’s palm. Once, twice, three times, before he shifted his body to turn off the light on his bed side table. Trying to grab the cover bunched up at their knees, Sirius had to shift his body just as slightly too. Mistaking his movements as him trying to get away, Remus  tightened his grip around him, pleading with Sirius to “Stay. Please. I want … I want you … I need to have you near me. Please stay.”, to which he answered that he’d never had the intention to go anywhere. He’d not leave. Never.    
  
___________________________  
  
  
The days and nights went on like this. Some calmer than others. On the not-so-calm days they’d pace the living room restlessly, sometimes waiting on Dumbledore’s arrival. He’d usually bring with him an update on the progress the Order of the Phoenix was making.  
  
Other times Remus and Sirius would be anxiously waiting for two gaunt faces to appear on Sirius’ two-way mirror, asking them if the coast was clear. After giving them the final thumbs-up, it usually didn’t take longer than half a minute for them to hear the anticipated knock on their front door.  
After one of them opened the door, they could watch as two pairs of muddy shoe prints appeared, tracing a path from their front door threshold into their hallway. Once the door was closed, the invisibility cloak was lifted, revealing two scraggy figures. Regulus and Severus.  
  
Most of the time the four of them managed to schedule their meetings so that when Regulus and Severus arrived, Harry would long have fallen asleep by then.  
But when their meeting fell on mornings, as soon as Harry saw them, he was quick to get up from the living room floor where he was previously sitting, still sleepily cuddling his blanket, to scurry into Regulus’ direction. Already squatting down Regulus usually met Harry with open arms which were ready to envelop a contently babbling Harry.  
It was one of the most heart-warming things to see him with his head resting in the crook of Regulus’ neck, with one arm wound around it and the hand of the other arm clutching his blanket and sucking on his thumb simultaneously, sleepy eyes half-lidded.  
The otherwise closed-off facial expression of Regulus softened instantly at the feel of the little toddler in their arms. On those mornings Harry would not let go of ‘his’ Regulus.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
A heart-shattering, traumatic dream one night made Regulus finally reach the point where they could no longer pretend like they felt they belonged to that mad organization and its leader.  
They only place they could think of that would provide them with a safe place to hide, had been the cottage of Sirius and Remus.  
  
When Sirius opened the door that day, after hearing a shy knock and he found Regulus standing before him – drenched to the bone, with sunken-in cheeks, deep purple circles around their eyes and a frightened and perturbed look in their eyes, he lunged at them at once, enveloping them into a bone-crushing hug.  
They stood like that for what felt like hours, sobbing into each others shoulders, clinging desperately to each other, so afraid to lose again. Until Remus found them and gently ushered them inside.  
  
James and Lily who were informed by owl sometime during the following hours, arrived at night that day, when Regulus had finally fallen asleep in their guest room. Sirius was in James’ arms within seconds, still shaken up, but never more relieved.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
They weren’t expecting a fifth person to arrive that night.  
Remus was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch, with Sirius curled up in his arms while James and Lily were in a comfortable heap on the couch - when Dumbledore’s face suddenly appeared in the flames of their fireplace. Startled out of their drowsiness they had lulled themselves into and alarmed at once, they had immediately permitted Dumbledore to apparate into Remus’ and Sirius’ living room. There he didn’t beat around the bush much before informing them about the news he had just received from Severus Snape.  
  
There would never be words to describe the way the four of them felt, never a way for them to ever forgive, to ever soothe the hurt and the feeling that betrayal left behind. The moment they actually could grasp the context of what Dumbledore was telling them, the moment they understood what 'He is the traitor.’ meant. It felt like having a part of their heart ripped out of their chest, a part of themselves vanished in that moment.  
  
While having difficulties to pull themselves together, they had to elaborate on what to do next.  
During those hours Dumbledore slowly not only shared his speculations about Voldemort and the horcruxes he had indubitably created within the last years.  
He also divulged his theory that Voldemort, using dark magic, had most likely managed to obtain a kind of connection to James and Lily through Wormtail and their by then unfortunate bond.  
Hearing that James and Lily immediately both knew and gave a head nod to each other, signaling without words that they had made the same decision at once: they had to bring Harry into safety, leave him behind and flee without him. It went without saying that both Remus and Sirius were the ones to take Harry in. There wouldn’t have been any other person’s hand they would have put Harry and his well being into. Nobody else they would have trusted with their son. Not even over their dead bodies.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
The weeks before Harry’s parents went into hiding, them, Remus, Sirius, Regulus and Severus had spent practically living in one and the same house. They had all comfortably fit into James’ and Lily’s mansion during the time they had to plan their missions. Time which was sparse.  
  
Within the two following weeks, necessary arrangements were being made, a heavy ward of spells was put up around Remus’ and Sirius’ cottage and roles were being assigned.  
Sirius had tried without success to dissuade Regulus from joining Snape in his mission to try and find the horcruxes and subsequently destroy them. So within fourteen days did he not only get reunited with his sibling, but lost them (again) and James and Lily to missions that left a fifty percent chance of them dying in the process.  
  
After James, Lily, Regulus and Snape departed, it took Remus two days of coaxing him out of their bedroom and two more days to get him to eat again. Nonetheless they both struggled to keep their heads above the water, struggled to breath, struggled to even stand and not break down. With shaking hands did one pull the other up and into their arms when the other found themselves dropping to their knees, collapsing unto the floor, in the middle of the living room.  
But with Harry under their care they knew they had to make it through.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
After that last morning Severus and Regulus had came by to report on their progress, Remus and Sirius didn’t hear from them again for two months. After what felt like decades, but were actually only one and a half year, of them regularly delivering their updates, of them regularly coming by or even sending owls to let the pair know they were still alive.  
  
Two agonizingly long months during which they both started to feel a certain kind of uneasiness, a sick twisting of the stomach, an up-roaring they knew they could feel even in their secluded little cottage on top of a cliff in the south of England.  
Something shifting in the air, a tightening in the magic bonds connecting all of wizarding kind throughout the continent. The shivers that crawled up their spines out of nowhere when they were just casually brewing tea or making dinner, goofing around with Harry. They both knew those to be signs that things were changing, something was coming to an end. Not knowing if that what would end would be in their favor or not.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
Until one day Dumbledore himself paid them a visit, confirming what deep down they had already known to be true. That Severus and Regulus had succeeded in destroying the last of the horcruxes a week ago and that the rest of the Order of the Phoenix plus a few dozen of brave people of the wizarding community were making themselves ready.  
  
Ready as can be, seeing as word got out about Voldemort and his army preparing to go into hiding somewhen that week because of Voldemort’s weakened strength.  
It was speculated that he would summon his ten dearest supporters to somewhere near a forest in Scotland and that they would then all meet up with the others at a set-up camp in the rural parts of the Basque country.  
  
If everything was going to go according to their plan, the Order of the Phoenix and its volunteers would be intercepting Voldemort and those few meeting up in Scotland before they could depart to anywhere else.  
  
The next few days not only Remus and Sirius - who were bound to stay in their cottage of course – were in a constant state of worrying themselves sick, of shaking hands and frightful glances. It seemed that all of England was trembling under what was inevitably happening.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
Naturally it was Remus and Sirius who were the first to receive the tidings about the defeat of Voldemort’s army and Voldemort’s death.  
  
So incredibly weakened by the state of what one was once able to call his soul, and after being singled out by a group of aurors during the battle that took place near the forest in Scotland, it was an almost easy task to take him down.  
  
At once all emotions a living being was capable of feeling washed over them.  
After such a long ordeal of suffering, after losing so many loved ones through the process, realizing it was finally all over, felt like someone had pulled a rug out from under them.  
  
Within a few hours meetings were being organized in every major wizarding town where everyone of the wizarding community nearby rushed to, falling into each others arms, holding each other up, sighing a collective sigh of relief.  
  
That night Remus and Sirius huddled together, with Harry in their middle, hoping it wouldn’t be long until James and Lily were going to come home again. It had been almost two years since they had fled. Almost two years of not knowing if James and Lily were even still alive.  
Almost two years where they had managed to create a life for and with Harry, from what they had left, from what was already taken from them.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
Somewhen during the last summer Remus and Sirius dared to take Harry out unto the fields around them, always cautious and nearly paranoid but still relishing the salty air they so seldom got to taste during those times. Simply because it was just too much risk leaving their heavily warded house.  
  
During that little stroll, Harry was always a few feet before them, tromping along and skipping between steps, with Remus and Sirius, arm in arm behind him.  
Sirius frowned as he felt Remus’ arm  loosen around him and nearly stopped in his track before the hand of that particular arm had found him again, long fingers intertwining with his.  
Furrowing his brows Sirius searched Remus’ face but he was only met by a crooked and shy smile as Remus just tugged him forward.  
They continued walking but Sirius could still see the little sideway glances he was receiving from Remus. After a few seconds Remus even lifted their hands to his mouth, to softly kiss the back of Sirius’ hand, mumbling into the skin there.  
  
Sirius hummed questioningly at that, so Remus let their hands and arms resume their place between them, took a deep breath, smiled down at the happy little fawn before them and let his heart take over the talking, “I want to marry you.”  
At that Sirius halted them both to a stop which Harry must have sensed because he stopped and turned around too, looking up at both of his uncles.  
  
Sirius delicately placed his palm on Remus’s cheek and almost to afraid to make a noise, whispered “You … you do?”  
  
That was it. There was nothing he could have said then that would have made sense anyway.  
  
So Remus closed the space between them with a single step, just so that their noses touched.  
Brushing Sirius nose with the tip of his own lovingly, with his hands securely splayed on either side of Sirius’ hips, he simply nodded “'Mhhm. I do.”  
  
Since then both knew though that for their wedding to happen they needed James and Lily to be there. Aching at the thought that that may never happen, they haven’t talked about the subject ever since.  
  
___________________________  
  
  
Consequently both of them were almost wreaking havoc after an owl had woken them up in the middle of the night, just 4 days after Voldemort’s death. It was a quickly scribbled note that informed them that James and Lily Potter were on their way to Remus, Sirius and Harry.  
  
Picking up Harry who had been previously sleeping contently between them, Sirius cradled him to his chest, ecstatic and almost out of his mind, so full of everything good, stroking Harry’s wild hair over and over again, whispering non-stop “They’re coming back, Harry! They’re coming back! Mummy and Daddy are coming back!”  
  
Remus who had nearly just as much difficulty grasping what was about to happen, had tried to make himself busy by brewing them a pot of tea.  
Just when he was carrying their tea set from the kitchen into their living room (he didn’t dare try to levitate the kitchen ware by magic while his hands wouldn’t stop shaking), his eyes fell on Sirius.  
  
Sirius was bustling about the living room while carrying Harry on his hip and frantically trying to keep his own hands busy – by tidying up the whole cottage apparently.  
Samples of their bits and pieces were laying strewn about and were quickly joined by more things that Sirius was digging out of boxes and drawers seemingly randomly.  
After Remus put down their cups, he had his hand wrapped around Sirius’ wrist within seconds.  
Sparkling but searching eyes were staring back at him. He saw at the way they glistened that Sirius was just as overwhelmed as him.  
  
Positioning himself just before him, he leaned in until their foreheads rested against each other.  
Careful to not squish Harry between them, Remus tugged Sirius even closer by his wrist, feeling the quick pulse of his veins. Just when Remus’ fixed his eyes on Sirius’, just when Sirius clutched Harry to himself a little tighter, just then did he feel his pulse slowing down until it did finally settle into a calmer rhythm again.  
  
At the end, however much they had already endured, they knew that not only would they be okay. They knew then, with the prospect of being reunited with James and Lily, with the prospect of having each other for as long as they lived, they’d be more than okay. _More than._

_The END.  
_

 


End file.
